The French, who have an remarkable affinity to romanticize
even the most difficult situations, turn to a 160 year-old-statue to mark the
rise of the Seine River during periods of great flooding.

The Zouave statue that sits upon one of the four piers of
the Pont de l’Alma, a bridge in metropolitan Paris, serves as a trusty
measuring instrument for water levels.

Charles Platiam, Reuters

Local weather monitors become nervous when the Seine's level
reaches the feet of the Zouave; when the water hits his thighs, the river is
unnavigable. During the great flood of the Seine in 1910, the level reached his
shoulders.

Late last week heavy rains in much of Europe had caused
serious flooding and the Zouave began to disappear under the swollen current.

In Paris on the first day of June, the Seine rose 16 feet
above its normal level, which flooded lower embankments and shutting down
adjacent roads.Damage at that level
remained light.

Despite the high water, the flood record remains at 26 feet
above normal level, which occurred in the famous flood of 1910.

French zouaves during the Crimean war; painting by Aleksander Raczyński (1858).

Who is this Parisian flood monitor?The famed Zouvre statue honors an elite corps
of mercenary soldiers first recruited in the 1830s by the French military from
colonies in North Africa.Their colorful
uniforms and reputation as fierce fighters have endeared the hard fighting regiments
to the French.The Zouaves were noted
participants in one of the major Battles of the Crimea. The Pont de l’Alma was
built to commemorate the Anglo/French victory over the Russians at Alma in
1854.

Construction took place between 1854 and its grand opening
April 2, 1856.Napoleon III cut the
ribbon. Originally, the Pont de l'Alma had a length of 153 meters (502 ft) and
a width of 42 meters (138 ft).It was
designed by Paul-Martin Gallocher de Lagalisserie. Each of the bridge’s four
piers was decorated with a statue of military nature: a Zouave and a grenadier
by Georges Diébolt, and a skirmisher and an artilleryman by Arnaud.

The bridge underwent complete reconstruction between 1970
and 1974, as it had been too narrow to accommodate the increasing traffic both
on and below it; moreover, the structure had subsided some 80 centimeters. Only
the statue of the Zouave was retained: the Skirmisher was relocated to the
Gravelle Stronghold in Vincennes, the Grenadier to Dijon, and the Artilleryman
to La Fère.

So far, the Floodman points out 2016 levels as of last week reached that of 1955 and that's well above the level that closes navigation on the Seine River.

MORE IMAGES

Paris: 1910 Flood

Location of the Zoarve Statue along the Seine

Baguettes por mama dans Chalette-sur-Loing Montargis, Orleans

Christian Hartman, Reuters

Z-man in drier times (above)2016 flood of the Seine (below)

Sad Note. The bridge is close to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel where
Diana, Princess of Wales was involved in a fatal car crash on August 31, 1997. The
Flame of Liberty at the bridge's north end has become an unofficial memorial to
Diana.